Reviewing my initial original focus film and two other films I have come to the conclusion that I should attempt to be more concise about my topic of which is objectivity and over sexualisation. I shall be looking at either how Scarlett Johansson uses her appearance in film and how she is used, or at how women are being used in Superhero movies. I think by using these either of these two ideas I shall be able to be more focused on my research and still have a broad horizon of research.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nib7a7w8Yi0
This is the trailer for Match Point which is directed by Woody Allen and stars Scarlett Johansson. In the movie Johansson is portrayed as a young aspiring actor who when becomes involved with a business man balances hiding an affair and mothering his future child. In the movie Johansson uses her appearance in a number of ways and her appearance seems to be her characters main arc.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7wph6xrtXQ
This is the trailer for Under the Skin which is another movie starring Johansson where she plays an alien who captures men.
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/mar/16/scarlett-johansson-interview-middle-ground-under-the-skin-sodastream
I found this link to an article in the Guardian interesting because of the way she is portrayed by the writer, not in the film but as an alien because of the way Johansson seems as a person.
I found the article particularly interesting because it is written by woman and some of the ways the writer Carole Cadwalladr speaks of Johansson. Saying Johansson has ' been installed in a fancy suite' as if she is some sort of exhibit and how she 'is groomed and coiffed with eyelashes like a camel's and a river of shining blond hair that flows around her shoulders' making Johansson all about her appearance and how she is controlled. In particular I found it unusual how Cadwalladr mentions how 'She looks neither ordinary nor normal' further implying that Johansson is distant from human and that the writer is either jealous or terrified of the actor.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/you/article-2521467/Scarlett-Johansson-Of-course-Ive-got-big-ego--I-actor-actors-think-theyre-one.html
This article intrigued me because of the headline which is a quote from Johansson herself 'Of course I've got a big ego - I am an actor and all actors think they're The one', the ironic thing about this quote is that out of context it makes Johansson seem big headed and self absorbed. Although when reading the full article this is far from what she's saying, the full quote is 'Because I am an actor and all actors think that they are The One. It's part of our huge egos and makes us so successful in some areas of our live and not in others'. Firstly the way the title has slanted what Johansson actually said seems like a specific device to make her seem big headed but also when readers find the quote in the article they'll see how this article has purposely changed things about the quote to seem a specific way. This article is a perfect example of how the media shape performers.
Both of the articles are good examples my point with the first highlighting over sexualisation and making Johansson seem more lavish and alienated to the rest of us and the second making the actor seem big headed and self-absorbed.
This is a good start Ryan, and I'm glad there is more focus here now. I think your title should still be something like - Women as Sexual Objects in Contemporary US film, and have Johansson as your star/performer focus. My instinct is that Under the Skin would be a good focus film, as it's complicated and we know from Sofia Coppola's accounts that both she and Johannson controlled the representation of Johansson's character. You can contrast this with Match Point/superhero movie perhaps, and compare with Lost in Translation. There are lots of secondary materials on objectification of women in modern film which you can use as context. I think this could be a really project.
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